ICE Plans $38.3 Billion Warehouse Conversion for Mass Deportations

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is executing a $38.3 billion "Detention Reengineering Initiative" to expand national detention capacity to 92,600 beds by November 2026. Funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and a tax-cutting law signed by President Donald Trump, the plan involves converting 16 warehouses into regional processing centers and eight larger warehouses into primary removal centers, while acquiring 10 turnkey facilities. The agency has already purchased warehouses in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Significant political conflict has emerged over a proposed 400-to-600-bed processing center in Merrimack, New Hampshire. During a February 12 Senate hearing, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons claimed his agency had coordinated an economic impact summary with Governor Kelly Ayotte. Ayotte denied this, stating she only received the documents after the hearing. The documents, which Ayotte later released, were criticized by local officials for containing glaring errors, including references to the economy of Oklahoma and non-existent New Hampshire state income taxes.

Opposition to the broader expansion is widespread. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro threatened legal action to block facilities in Berks and Schuylkill counties, while Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey demanded Ayotte block the New Hampshire project. In Michigan, State Senator Darrin Camilleri condemned a warehouse conversion in Romulus as an ill-constructed jail. Despite these protests and requests from Senator Maggie Hassan to cancel the Merrimack site, Todd Lyons testified that the project would not be scrapped.